AKS4

Good evening all, Long time lurker and first time poster, in a long while at least, or at the very least first time as an RX7 owner, with a question that I couldnt find discussed. Maybe its not recommended or is considered backwards, or just plain.... well I dont know.

Anyway, a friend offered up his FB (83 GSL) project race car, while without an engine it was a bargain with a clean shell, 2 drivetrains, some performance suspension, upgraded brakes, 2 sets of rims, a cage, .. and yeah... no engine. I do however have a buddy in town that seems to have a few 12a's laying around that he'll let go for hella cheap. SOOOoooo therein lies the question. Is it worth picking up my buddies 12a's, do some work to make sure they are good and swap in one and have spares? or should I go with trying to source a 13b? At the moment just trying to make it a budget racer for next fall.

TIA

7aull

iTrader: (2)

12a sitting there vs shipping in an unknown 13b from Outside?? Yike! Grab the 12As!! Better be cheap tho unless he's guaranteeing a running motor
Lots of performance goodies avai for 12a

Stu Aull
80GS
(Fairbanks) Alaska

mazdaverx713b

iTrader: (91)

sounds like a good pla to me. you can reinstall the interior and remove the cage, swap in an engine, perform some up to date maitenance and fluid changes, and probably have yourself a pretty nice driver.

j9fd3s

iTrader: (3)

12A seems like the simplest and quickest way to go

AKS4

So sounds like I should pursue the 12a's then. I'll go take a gander at them and see how cheap they are. Apparently there are 3 of them.

mazdaverx713b - That would be a wonderful plan if not for the fact the P.O. had already stripped the interior in prep for a race car. I would love a second daily for when the Corrado is in need of loving. The cage however will stay in since I too intend to track it. (which means not a prefered daily)

As a continuation of this, if I decided to swap in a 12a what all would need to be replaced and how involved would the swap be? The car is a GSL which I understand was always a 13b, and as it sits all wiring and ancillarary items are there, as in drop in a 13b and bada-bing.

gsl-se addict

iTrader: (3)

GSL was a 12A car. Only the GSL-SE (only made in '84/'85) had the 13B out of the 1st gen cars. The GSL-SE 13B was a fuel injected engine. All of the 12As ran carbs.

AKS4

OH.... they were? ok... I am a n00bster then, I swore I read the GSL was also offered in 13b. Well ok then, I guess that solves that?

I'll grab a 12a to put in a 12a slot. Soooo, exactly how cheap should cheap be if I dont know the condition they are in?

Kentetsu

When you look over the motors, remove the exhaust manifold and look into the exhaust ports as you rotate the motor. You can check the apex seals this way to ensure that they are intact and moving freely (prod them with a pencil or something that won't damage them).

Good luck...




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AKS4

Ooooo, ok. thats a good idea, thanks for the tip on the seals. Yeah having not seen them but from a friend I assume they are in good shape.... he was busy at work so couldnt talk much other than when I could see them and he had 3 12a's.

z_a_k

depending on the shape of them and how complete they are i dunno $500 at the most? i got a complete carbon locked 13b for $100 when my gf bought her SEs

i am also some what of a noob lol

twinkletoes

iTrader: (17)

Go 12a. Bridgeport it though

trochoid

iTrader: (6)

Take a hard look at your budget, racing venue and skill level in regards to mechanics. Either engine is a bolt in, the 13B may take a few mods depending on the year of the engine. The difference stock between the 1st gen versions is about 35 hp which can make a big difference racing, if the rules allow the engine upgrade.

What series of racing are you planning on entering? That will be a the determining factor of what mods you can perform. Read the rules carefully and talk with others in the series. Iv'e found the hard way that if costs way too much to start small and work up, particularly in regards to engine changes/rebuilds/upgrades. Build what you want from the start, much cheaper that way.

In my sig line are some links to the FSMs and other reading. Read everything you can before commiting to either engine and/or variation of. Also check out and post other mods the PO did on the shell, particularly brakes/suspension.tires and wheels.
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AKS4

Trochoid - Thank you for the insight, I have thought about all those things prior to my decision to acquire the car and believe going with the 12a is the best choice ATM.

The main goal is for it to be a long project that is both a great looker and performance oriented. (vision is fuzzy still, car still being delivered with goodies tomorrow so much time will be assessing what is there and what isnt and NEEDS to be. I'll try to post another thread with some initial pics, overall goals for the vehicle, both long term and for the interim, as well as specs as I learn them.

To briefly answer your questions though, the car (and myself) will start competing wheel to wheel in IT class racing for our regional Sports Car Club (which follow SCCA Club Racing rules). With Ice racing during the winter and some Auto-x in the summer injected into the schedule.

AcidAngel7477

iTrader: (16)

12a power man..ftw. you cant go wrong with a 12a. here is a video to prove it...start watching at 2:09min..pure ownage by the 12a.

:AA:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZ42tFG6cXQ

AKS4

Alright, so I went over my lunch break and checked out the engines. I am trying to upload the iPhone pics I took but the work computer is not allowing me into photobucket, so will have to wait till later I guess.

Anyway, the scoop goes that these 4, yes 4 of them, are actually from an RX owner that left state and had a prepped RX3. I completely forgot to turn them to check the seals, but from what I gathered these were early 12a's. Heck one even has "MAZDA" stamped on the rotar housings. We figured them being from RX3 or RX4 engines, seeing as that was what he was racing. He has the PO contact info and is forwarding to me this weekend.

The pictures will better show the condition of them better, I hope, but I am thinking they would need a rebuild kit at least. If nothing else they could provide a good learning experience in rebuilding a rotary. The cheap price on them was ~$100 for all 4, although mentioned something along the lines of if I needed/wanted/coudl use one, take it.

j9fd3s

iTrader: (3)

IT = stock engine = 12A. the only way to run a 13B in a 1st gen in IT is to have the COMPLETE GSL-SE setup, engine, injection, suspension, brakes etc etc

even if they are early motors, $100 for all four is a deal, i would have bought em right there

z_a_k

damn man you got a steal of a deal there 4 12a's for $100 you are a silly bitch if you dont get them haha

13BT_RX3

Should be plug and play if the 12a has all its running gear and you have an exhaust to bolt up to. Get it running and see what else the car needs.

flamin-roids

12A's are pretty solid engines. I would get the 4 12A's and build at least 2 running engines. After you've tinkered with them and get some experience, snag a 13B shortblock out of a FC and run a dual carb setup. I've driven one FB with a bridge ported 12A running a mikuni side draft setup and the car was insanely fast.

13B's will always make more power for your money, but a well tuned ported 12A with a nice carb setup will be far from slow.

AKS4

Thanks for all the info guys. I'm picking them up tomorrow. Also I was able to get ahold of the Original owner of the engines, he mentioned they were running and in good shape when he pulled them some 15 years ago. So I'm thinking a rebuild kit with new seals and gaskets I should be good to go. (now to just figure out if they'll all fit in the 'Rado or not or if I need to take the truck)

Seeing as this will be for an IT car, a 12a would be perfect, and building up a second would prove fruitful for a spare/backup.